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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · patient · press · current · rest · wax · lash · cap

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cap — a lid
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. press — to push
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rest — a break
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. season — of the year
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. current — happening now
  14. season — in sport
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cap — of ice
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cap — a hat
  19. current — electric
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. current — of water
  23. rest — what's left
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com